Check out the introduction of Anton and Toph Karrento, the Silk Gatherers, the latest clip from my lo-fi sci-fi feature Ghosts With Shit Jobs.

This is actually the segment I directed, and although I did it reluctantly (I figure my real skill sets are producing/writing), it was a joy to work with these two super-talented guys. Fantastic at improv, they totally internalized the 2040 world in a way that just floored me. And I felt they nailed the dysfunctional brothers dynamic. After we wrapped I made a text adventure game starring them that you can play here, just so I could spend some more time hanging out in my head with them. Is that weird, bro?

A. The only thing we could do, really… trash the defectives and start pumping out a new batch.

Check out the introduction of Gary and Karen, the Baby Makers, the latest clip from my lo-fi sci-fi feature Ghosts With Shit Jobs.

This month we’re releasing the first 5 minutes of the new lo-fi sci-fi movie, which introduces the digital janitor. In each of the coming three months we will be introducing a new character from our mockumentary. Check it out here.

It’s also a part of the Celtx Seeds program, where we’ve additionally posted a little quick-and-dirty interview with a couple of us. We focused on a tips/how-to approach rather than, y’know, our motivations and artistic aesthetic. Not that that’s irrelevant, but since Celtx is a scriptwriting app we figured most of the people watching would be fellow filmmakers.

In 2040, jobs suck in a whole new way.

Our new lo-fi sci-fi mockumentary, Ghosts With Shit Jobs, is finally finished! Check out the brand new trailer above or at the official site. Click through for my exec producer/writer/co-director notes.

The idea was to build on the amazing response we got from Infest Wisely, a feature that took six months and $700 to make, and make something where the production values weren’t as distracting.

Two-and-a-half years and $4000 later, we’ve got that with Ghosts With Shit Jobs. (Turns out that extra bit of polish, and the time it takes to find the people who know how to apply that polish, is a non-inconsequential thing.)

And already, even though we’re a way from releasing it, we’ve received some excellent support last week from the Celtx Seeds program which gave us $2000 in funding. We’ll be starting to post portions of the feature-length movie episodically with them in October.

To keep tabs on it you’ll want to check out our oddly foreign-yet-familiar social media buttons at the official www.ghostswithshitjobs.com site. Poke around… each flavour has a different take on the movie.

Mare Sheppard and I decided to start the Difference Engine Initiative.

As part of the OMDC-supported TIFF Nexus, the Hand Eye Society will be running two gamemaking incubators for women in Toronto, one in August-September, and one in October-November. By introducing new gamemakers from under-represented groups into our community, the Difference Engine Initiative aims to diversify what kind of videogames are made. Our first focus is women…

Find out about next week’s info session and how to apply for this free program over here.

But anyway: Machine of Death. A smart and funny crowdsourced science fiction anthology self-published by a bunch of webcomic creators becomes a #1 best seller on Amazon, is publicly denounced by right wing pundit Glenn Beck and generally flies in the face of every scrap of received wisdom about publishing. Rethinking publishing is something I know a thing or two about, and what’s even better is I know these guys, so I thought it’d be a good way to try out this whole conversational approach. David was in town for TCAF and he and Ryan nicely made their way out to my place overlooking the railway in the Junction. We chatted for about an hour and a half and I cut thirty minutes out.

Machine of Death is available as a free e-book and in a print edition, and if you like it you should consider submitting a story (July 15th deadline!).

No Flash? Download the MP3 here or here.

If you dig this, you might want to subscribe to the Inspiring Creators podcast (RSS2 or itunes) or check out my other (older, more stilted) interviews with videogame maker Jon Mak, comics artist Carla Speed McNeil, or Wholphin DVD editor Brent Hoff.

However — in case you missed it — things have changed in the last decade. The print book market has been becoming less viable, and the digital becoming more so. Also the e-book reading experience is becoming more and more comparable to the print one. At a personal level, I’m reading as much on my phone as I am on the page.

So: I’ve decided to charge something for them now. But how much?

That’s up to you. Whatever you think is fair and whatever you’re happy to pay. If you’re looking for examples, read on.

• No stable income and are a bit hesitant to buy anything, but think you would give my writing a try if — say — you found it for cheap at a garage sale? Chuck in a buck or two.
• Read a book of mine already and think you’ll like another? Maybe a $5-10 donation depending on if you have a day job.
• If you like the DIY articles on the site, want to support the approach I have to creative work, or even previous writing I’ve done — $10-20? People who donate in this range will get a free lo-fi sci-fi DVD!
• And I won’t turn away $20 or more, though I will offer to mail you a No Media Kings t-shirt for your support.

Click the donate button on the book you want on the sidebar. Go with your gut — don’t get hung up on how much exactly, you can always come back and donate more if the book changes your life or something.

I’m hoping this will be a way for people to express their support, rather than an onerous paywall. For people who are put off, there’s always the library, or you could poke around on the web (even on this site) for places that’ll continue to give it away for free.

Prose Book Formats: EPUB, MOBI, PDF, RTF. Comics: PDF, CBZ, CBR.

When you donate, indicate the format you want. If there’s a format not listed above leave a comment below with your email and I’ll see about generating it. It’s all DRM free so you’re able to pass it around to friends.

UPDATE: Now available on Amazon, if that’s easier for you Kindlers, though for a static price.

Lecture
On Saturday 14 May, Jim Munroe (CA) and Han Hoogerbrugge (NL) will talk of their experiences with self-publishing. Munroe chose to turn his back on the publishing world and publish his work himself. Han Hoogerbrugge, on the other hand, was actually discovered because he published his work online.

Workshops
Prior to the lecture, there is the opportunity of taking part in workshops that offer insight into how you can publish your work more widely and effectively.
Jim Munroe will be holding the workshop:
How do you make a game without programming? With G-O-D online (Gé Smit) you will start learning how to attract attention amidst the masses.

“Declaration of Independents”
Thursday, September 23
3:00pm

Few outside those working inside the indie game circle realize how wide-reaching and “successful” it truly is. With loads of blogs devoted to the scene and millions of downloads each year, a vibrant undercurrent of game developers are thriving and working without bureaucracy, utilizing accessible software and various lo-fi techniques to pump the games out. From inspiration to design and publishing, how do you make a game by yourself, and why?

SPEAKERS
Moderated by Brandon Boyer, Chairman, Independent Games Festival
Derek Yu, game developer and illustrator, Editor-in-Chief of TIGSource
Jonathan Blow, game designer, partner in the Indie Fund
Jim Munroe, novelist, game designer

“Wizard Takes All”
Saturday, September 25
4:30pm

What is it about computer games and magic? Magic and computer games have been linked from the very beginning when Fantasy themed, text-based, Multi-User Dungeons started popping up on mainframes in the 1970s. Generations of gamers have crawled their way through Adventure, Wizardry, the Ultimas, Bard’s Tale, King’s Quest, Zelda, Final Fantasy, Everquest, and World of Warcraft. Dungeons and Dragons, Magic the Gathering, The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, Narnia, and most recently Harry Potter have snatched the brains of children and adults alike. Why are magic and medieval fantasy such prominent themes in our media landscape? What do 20 million role playing Elves know that we don’t?

SPEAKERS
Moderated by Eddo Stern, Artist, Associate Professor at UCLA Design Media Arts Department
Sheri Graner Ray, Studio Design Director for Schell Games, writer and designer on the Ultima series
Jim Munroe, novelist, game designer
Tom Hall, Creative Director at KingsIsle Entertainment

[Shannon, by the way, is currently on tour on the west coast -- she's doing a book launch at Lucky's on Aug. 24th in case you live in Vancouver!]

So here’s a breakdown of how much time we each spent working on the book.

Jim’s hours: 283.8 (writing: 23%, revisions and editing: 16%, publicity: 20%, publishing business: 38%)

Shannon’s hours:  1000+ (drawing)

So basically, Shannon put in 80% of the time even considering I took on publicity and publishing roles. (If I was just doing the writing, it would have been closer to a 90/10% split.)

We’re dividing the money we make 80/20%, but it still feels weird. I mean, I knew it took a long time to draw, but it really takes a long time to draw. This wonky division of labour is something to keep in mind when if you’re ever approaching someone to draw a comic. Even if you’re a slow writer and they’re a fast drawer, you’re still asking them to spend much more time realizing something than you spent creating it. What are you bringing to the project beyond amazing ideas and sparkling prose?